Hugues Doneau, commonly referred also by the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

form Hugo Donellus (23 December 1527, in

Chalon-sur-Saône Chalon-sur-Saône (, literally ''Chalon on Saône'') is a city in the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefectu ...

– 4 May 1591, in

Altdorf bei Nürnberg Altdorf bei Nürnberg ( , ; ) is a town in south-eastern Germany. It is situated east of Nuremberg, in the district Nürnberger Land. Its name literally means “Altdorf near Nuremberg”, to distinguish it from other Altdorfs. History Altdorf ...

), was a French

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

professor and one of the leading representatives of French legal humanism ( mos Gallicus).

Life

Doneau, who was born into a well-respected family, studied law in

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

and

Bourges Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...

. Bourges was then a center of legal humanism and

François Douaren François Douaren (or le Douaren) (also sometimes spelled ''Duaren''; Latin: Franciscus Duarenus) (1509, near Saint-Brieuc – 1559, Bourges) was a French jurist and professor of law at the University of Bourges. After studies in Paris under Guil ...

(Franciscus Duarenus), one of the most famous members of this movement was among Doneau's teachers at Bourges. In 1551, Doneau received a doctorate from the University of Bourges and began teaching there. However, because of his

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

confession, Doneau had to flee to

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

after the

St. Bartholomew's Day massacre The Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre () in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence directed against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants) during the French Wars of Religion. Traditionally believed ...

in 1572. Doneau accepted a call from the

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

Elector Palatine Frederick III to a professorship at

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

and assumed the post in early 1573. Doneau, however, would have to relocate again in 1579 because Heidelberg and the surrounding

Electoral Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy Roman Empero ...

were converted to the

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

confession by Frederick's successor Louis VI (r. 1576–83), and the elector required subscription to the

Formula of Concord Formula of Concord (1577) (; ; also the "''Bergic Book''" or the "''Bergen Book''") is an authoritative Lutheran statement of faith (called a confession, creed, or "symbol") that, in its two parts (''Epitome'' and ''Solid Declaration''), makes up ...

. Doneau then moved to the newly founded

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

, but in 1587, the political circumstances forced him into exile for the third time: Doneau had to leave Leiden in 1588, because of his sympathies for

Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years. Dudley's youth was ove ...

. Doneau returned to Germany and became professor of law at the Altdorf Academy (the university of the Free Imperial City of

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

). He died in Altdorf in 1591. Doneau was one of the French jurists who followed the example of

Andrea Alciato Andrea Alciato (8 May 149212 January 1550), commonly known as Alciati (Andreas Alciatus), was an Italian jurist and writer. He is regarded as the founder of the French school of legal humanists. Biography Alciati was born in Alzate Brianza, n ...

(Andreas Alciatus) and applied the methods of Renaissance humanism to law. However, while many of the followers of this so-called mos Gallicus (French method) concentrated on a critical evaluation of the texts in the

Corpus Iuris Civilis The ''Corpus Juris'' (or ''Iuris'') ''Civilis'' ("Body of Civil Law") is the modern name for a collection of fundamental works in jurisprudence, enacted from 529 to 534 by order of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. It is also sometimes referred ...

, Doneau was more interested in the construction of a coherent system of law. His best known work ''Commentarii de iure civili'' (''commentaries on the civil law'') (in part edited posthumously by

Scipione Gentili Scipione Gentili (; 1563 – August 7, 1616) was an Italian law professor and a legal writer. One of his six brothers was Alberico Gentili, one of the fathers of international law. Born at San Ginesio, Scipione Gentili left Italy at the age of ...

) is one of the first attempts to organise the subject matter of

Roman law Roman law is the law, legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (), to the (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor Justinian I. Roman law also den ...

in a logical order rather than according to the sequence of the books and titles of the Digest. Doneau also made major contributions to various specialised areas of law such as the doctrine of

possession Possession may refer to: Law *Dependent territory, an area of land over which another country exercises sovereignty, but which does not have the full right of participation in that country's governance *Drug possession, a crime *Ownership *Pe ...

and acquisition of

ownership Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as '' title'', which may be separated and held by dif ...

Works

* ''Commentaria in tit. Pandectarum de usuris, nautico fonere, de fructibus, causa et accessionibus et de mora'', Paris 1556 ** * ''Ad legem Justiniani de sententiis quae pro eo quod interset proferuntur, sive de eo quod interest'', liber Paris 1561, Neustadt 1580, Altdorf 1589, also published as ''a Donello recognitus'' (Ap. Carterium 1596, Leiden 1630) ** * ''Commentaria Ad tit. Dig. De rebus dubiis'', Bouges 1571, Antwerp 1584 * ''Commentaria Ad tit. Cod. De pactis et transactt.'', Bouges 1572, Paris 1573, Colonia 1574 * ''Zachariae Furnestri Defensio pro justo et innocente tot millium animarum sanguine in Gallia effuso adversus Molucii calumnias'', 1573, 1579 * * ''Commentaria ad tit. Inst. De actionibus'', Antwerp 1581, 1596, 1620 * ''Tractatus de pignoribus et hypothecis'', Frankfurt * ''Tractatus de aedilitio edicto, evictionibus, et duplae stipulatione, de probationibus, fide instrumentorum et testibus'', Frankfurt * ''Commentaria Ad tit. Dig de rebus creditis seu munto, de jurejurando, de in litem jurando, condictione ex lege, triticiaria, et de eo quod certo loco'', Antwerp 1582, Frankfurt 1626 * ''Commentaria Ad Codicis Justinianei partes quasdam'', 1587 ** ** * ''Commentaria Ad tit. Digestorum de diversis regulis juris'', Antwerp * ''Commentaria Ad tit. Dig. De Verborum obligationibus'', Frankfurt 1599 * ''Commentarium de jure civili viginti octo, in quibus jus civile universum singulari artificatio atque doctrina explicatum continetur'', Frankfurt 1595, 1596 * ''Hugonis Donelli opera postuma et aliorum quaedam'', ex biblotheca Sciponis Gentilis, Hannover 1604 * ''Opera cur. e Barth. Franc. Pellegrini'', published together in Luzern 1762–1770 in 12 volumes. ** * ''Commentarii de iuri civili'' ** ** ** ** * ''Commentarii in selectos quosdam titulos Digestorum'' ** **

References

* K. Stapelfeldt, Jan Schröder: "Hugo Donellus", in: Gerd Kleinheyer, Jan Schröder (Eds.): Deutsche und Europäische Juristen aus neun Jahrhunderten. 4th ed. Heidelberg 1996, , pp. 112– 115 * * Gabor Hamza, "Le développement du droit privé européen", ELTE Eötvös Kiadó, Budapest 2005. 94–95. pp. * Gabor Hamza, "Entstehung und Entwicklung der modernen Privatrechtsordnungen und die römischrechtliche Tradition", ELTE Eötvös Kiadó, Budapest 2009, 282–283. pp. * Gabor Hamza, "Origine e sviluppo degli ordinamenti giusprivatistici moderni in base alla tradizione del diritto romano", Andavira editora, Santiago de Compostela 2013, 270–271. pp.

External links

''Opera Omnia'', tomus 1
(''Complete works'', volume 1) {{DEFAULTSORT:Doneau, Hugues 1527 births 1591 deaths People from the Duchy of Burgundy Expatriates in the Holy Roman Empire 16th-century French lawyers 16th-century French educators Academic staff of Heidelberg University Academic staff of Leiden University People from Chalon-sur-Saône